The morning was the busiest time at the Kane Mansion, as the silent estate awakened to the bustle of the servants' work.
The maids were preparing breakfast, repeatedly wiping the dining room tables and chairs that had yet to gather dust.
In the stables, the groom replenished the troughs with fresh fodder and remembered to brush off the bits of chaff clinging to the horses' hides. He couldn't afford to neglect this task; a lapse in attention could embarrass Young Master Lis if he rode out and it would be the groom who'd suffer for it.
The maid Rossi carefully knocked on Young Master Lis's door and, hearing no response, intended to open the door as usual to wake him.
Before Rossi could push the door open, it suddenly swung out from within, and Lis, already dressed neatly, stepped out of the room.
"It's Rossi, huh? Tell Bender that I'll be going out in a bit," he said.
"Yes, Young Master Lis," Rossi quickly responded, bowing respectfully to the side, her imposing cleavage revealed within her black and white maid's uniform.
Even Lis, seasoned and detached, couldn't help but take a few more glances, silently admiring the original owner's tireless pursuit of learning.
In his memories, the original owner was still a virgin at 18 in the liberal Royal Capital of the Feis Kingdom, a court noble who cocooned himself at home, hopelessly addicted to magic, never engaging in any noble socializing, which was, in a sense, "infamous."
Even so, at 18, the original owner was just a Basic Mage. Had he been of common birth, he might have been considered a small genius, but as the heir of the Kane family, a family of court mages that once produced a Legendary Mage, spending various precious resources only to achieve the level of Junior Mage after more than a decade was not particularly talented.
Consider that Princess Taya Fis had become a Golden Warrior by age 20 and broke through to the Legendary Domain just ten years later—the disparity was truly disheartening.
But Lis clenched his fists tightly.
Having lived a second life, he refused to settle for being an insignificant background character; he was determined to seize control of his own fate in the vast and turbulent tides of the coming era.
In the early morning, bright and warm sunlight poured through the mansion's corridor stained glass, casting its gentle rays upon Lis. Maid Rossi, stealing a glance at his retreating figure disappearing around the corner, felt puzzled; the young master, who never woke up early, seemed different from usual today.
Dining Room of the Mansion
Of the Kane family members, only Lis Kain remained, so the large spacious dining room and the white long table harbored only him enjoying his breakfast.
Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Lis put down his knife and fork contentedly. He couldn't deny that the home's chef was quite remarkable—the chocolate pancakes and white bread smeared with butter and jam served for breakfast were delicious; soft and sweet, the slightly bitter chocolate perfectly offsetting the jam's richness. However, having black coffee in the morning was still an acquired taste for Lis.
He still preferred starting his morning with a strong cup of green tea to clear his mind.
To the side, wearing a black butler's uniform with slightly weathered temples, Joyce saw Lis's satisfaction and waved to signal a nearby maid to clear the tableware, then humbly placed a round plate in front of him.
Looking at the plate, Lis saw several letters of various colors. The elaborate and luxurious gold thread patterns on the envelopes indicated they were from those nobles and wealthy merchants keen on social balls, aiming to flaunt their ample wealth and esteemed status.
"Young Master, these are invitations from Count Reyi, Viscount Peck and the Golden Rose Guild, inviting you to dinners being held soon," he said.
"I see, just put them on my bedroom table. If I decide to go, I'll let you know to prepare," Lis said.
After all, these were just formal invitations; as a virtually invisible noble, his presence or absence wouldn't matter to anyone.
"Yes," answered Joyce, as meticulous as ever, with respectful affirmation.
"The carriage you asked to be prepared is already waiting for you at the entrance. Are we leaving now?"
"That quickly? Then, let's go," said Lis, eager to embark on the journey to acquire the first and most important specialty in his plans.
"Young Master Lis!" The groom Bender, in neatly pressed black tails, was ceaselessly polishing the Kane family's eagle crest on the carriage at the mansion's entrance. Noticing Lis coming out, he promptly approached to pay respects.
"You're looking sharp today, Bender," said Lis with a smile.
"Of course, Young Master. You haven't been out in quite a while; now that you're using the carriage, how could I not do my utmost?" Bender replied with a chuckle, immediately revealing a sycophantic attitude as he assisted Lis into the carriage, then asked, "Where do you plan to go today, Young Master?"
"Directly to the Royal Library,"
"Alright, please get comfortable, we're setting off now."
After Bender gently closed the carriage door, he respectfully bid farewell to the butler Joyce, who was standing by, and immediately perked up, took his seat at the front of the carriage, lightly flicked the reins, and the two chestnut horses steadily pulled the carriage forward.
Lis glanced at the bustling scenes along the way, truly fitting for the Royal Capital of the strong Feis Kingdom, a hub of transport with an endless stream of merchants, traders, and travelers.
He wasn't sure if it was psychological, but the intermittent cries of vendors seemed to carry more life than the supposedly '100% real' experience in the games of his previous life.
The Feis Street, where his own residence was located, was also a testament to the prominence of Bright City; it was jokingly referred to as the Noble District and not far from places like the Royal Library and the Royal Magic Academy. He would be there shortly.
Assisted respectfully by Bender, Lis stepped down from the carriage, looked up at the solemn and serene blue-gray granite gate that stood out amongst the surrounding buildings, smiled, slightly adjusted his black top hat, and walked straight in.
"Greetings, Lord Viscount Kane. How may I assist you today?"
As soon as Lis entered the Royal Library, a servant came forward to inquire.
The Royal Library, being the most important Court Library in the Feis Kingdom, was generally not open to the public. To access and review the books, one needed certain qualifications. For players, this meant the reputation value with the Feis Kingdom needed to be above friendly, and they would have to spend contribution points to exchange for entry to the Royal Library. This was also the biggest barrier to acquiring this particular professional specialty in his past life.
Obviously, as Court Viscount Lis Kain, qualification for entry into the Royal Library was nothing to him, which was why he chose to acquire this professional specialty first.
"No need, I'll just have a look on my own,"
Lis waved his hand at the servant and leisurely walked deeper into the library.
It was early, and there weren't many people browsing books in the library. Lis saw a few individuals in a distant reading area on the first floor, hunched over tables with tall stacks of books, clearly having pulled an all-nighter here.
"The thrill of a grind is momentary, a continuous grind is a continual thrill!"
Lis shook his head then no longer paid attention, recalling from a previous life's guide the location of the book he was looking for.
The original owner had often come here to research magic, so Lis looked around and soon identified his target.
"Hmm, the second floor's continent history section..."
"The innermost shelf of the seventh row..."
"The top row... found it!"
Lis slowly descended the rolling ladder, holding a large tome with a dark gray cover in his right hand.
Looking at the book in his hand, "The History of Magic Development in the Feis Kingdom" (Volume VII), Lis took a deep breath and slowly flipped open the thick cover.
Inserted between pages 352 and 353, which detailed the exceptional contributions made to Magic Models by Legendary Mage Bobaka, was a thin piece of parchment.
Lis carefully took the parchment paper in his hands, which read in a flowing, elegant script:
"Oh, congratulations! To the Mage who has taken the time to come here, this is a little reward from the great Element Manipulator Master Bobaka. Accept it and praise the great Bobaka loudly!"
[You have acquired the item [Boba Ka's Arcane Notebook]]
[You start learning from [Boba Ka's Arcane Notebook], finding many insights!]
[Learning progress 10%... 50%... 100%]
[Your understanding of magic has improved, and you can control elements from a higher level; you have mastered a new Mage professional specialty—[Arcane Thought]]
[Determining... It has been detected that you already possess the lower professional specialty [Magic Power Thinking], which can be replaced]
[You have lost the Mage professional specialty [Magic Power Thinking]]
[You have acquired the Mage professional specialty [Arcane Thought]!]